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UTEP football: Miners get to work on solving tacking issues

By Bret Bloomquist

bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com @bretbloomquist on Twitter

Posted:
10/08/2013 08:52:58 PM MDT

UTEP s Autrey Golden is swarmed by the defense during a drill Tuesday at Glory Road Field. The Miners are working on defense and tackling as they prepare for Tulsa on Saturday in the Sun Bowl. ( Mark Lambie/El Paso Times)

For a decade marked mostly by defensive futility, UTEP has emptied playbooks and given them a shake.

They have run a 4-3, a 3-4, a 3-3-5 and now a 4-2-5. Through all the system changes and different coordinators, for all the different ways of sending Xs and Os around a chalkboard, they've struggled. Generally, it's because the Miners have been poor at the most important aspect of defense.

They are still working on tackling. They will be working on it all week, just as they were last week, just as they will be in all the weeks to come.

When UTEP gets better at bringing the guy with the ball to the ground, they will be better at keeping that guy out of the end zone and keeping points off the board.

They have a ways to go.

"What we'll do is continue to work hard," coach Sean Kugler said. "When we have issues, we'll work hard to solve it. We'll keep at it until we do. You have issues, you work to correct it.

"We have more individual drills, more live situations in team. Just tempo, really. We have to fight through it, work through it, not sweep it under the rug. We have to work on it."

Another way Kugler has put it is that there's no magic wand. The answers to UTEP's problem sound repetitive because they are. At Tuesday's practice, the team spent 10 minutes launching at tackling dummies, a prelude to full tackling team drills. Every Tuesday practice will look like that the rest of the year.

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"We've got to rep it in practice, in scouts we go live," tackle Marcus Bagley said. "When we have live periods we focus on tackling. It's frustrating, but we know we have to keep working at it, keep driving, get it corrected."

"We've got to practice it, get to work on it," linebacker Horace Miller said. "We have a number of new drills to practice tackling. We can't emphasize it much more. At the end of the day, it comes down to 'want to.' We've got to want to tackle, want to play hard, we've got to want to win."

Part of the problem seems to be talent. When the new staff arrived, they found a roster loaded with offensive players, particularly receivers, that was light on scholarship defensive players. That won't be fixable no matter how many tackling drills UTEP does, only with recruiting and only over the next several years.

"It's more of a depth issue," Kugler said. "On the starting 11 we do have the talent to tackle, we just have to be better at it. The depth we have to shore up."

That, though, is down the line. As for this week against Tulsa, they are just going to have to be better at the same things they've been doing. They will get a reinforcement, as safety Wesley Miller, a projected starter before the season began, will return from a knee injury that has sidelined him since the first quarter of the New Mexico State game.

"I don't think it's talent, it's technique," Wesley Miller said. "That comes from inexperience. There's a lot of inexperience on the field and that will only get better. There's been a lot of emphasis on tackling. We're just not good at it right now."

As for what his return will mean, "We'll see," Wesley Miller said. "I'm just one of 11 on the field."

At this point, nothing could hurt.

Injury update

UTEP has never been healthier on offense, but the defense continues an injury shuffle.

With so many safeties out, regular cornerback Adrian James continued to play safety, something Kugler said is temporary. Nick Gathrite is taking his place as a starting corner at the moment.

On the plus side, "I'm 100 percent now," said Nathan Jeffery, who will probably build on the nine carries he had against Louisiana Tech. "I definitely feel like I can do more, but Aaron (Jones) is doing a good job, so they left him in."

Spreading the wealth

Outside of Jordan Leslie, receivers only had three catches against Louisiana Tech, all from reserve Devin Patterson.

But the Miners continued another trend as tight ends had six receptions and fullback Darrin Laufasa added another three. Running backs now have 20 catches, the same production that unit had in all 12 games last year. This year they have 18 receiving yards, last year the 12-game total was 146 yards.

Tight ends now have 26 catches for 288 yards; it was 23 catches for 252 all of last season.

"We got great production from our tight ends, which are a big focal point," Kugler said. Receiver "Ian Hamilton has had some production, but did not have a productive night the other night. But, we only play with two wide receivers on the field at one time, so the other guys that have to be productive in the passing game are the tight ends and running backs, which they have done."

Jones rankings

The tailback Jones is second nationally among freshmen in rushing yards at 93.4 per game, behind only Arkansas' Alex Collins (108.5).

He has led the team in rushing in four of the first five games, the first UTEP freshman to do that since Mike Belew in 1974.

UTEP's all-time leading rusher, John Harvey, had 777 yards as a freshman. With 467 yards in five games, Jones is on pace for a Miner freshman record 1,121 yards. That would rank as the 10th most rushing yards in a season by a UTEP back.

QB mark

Jameill Showers' four rushing touchdowns is the most by a UTEP quarterback since Orlando Cruz had five in 2003. Rocky Perez had six in 2000.

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